Windows 8, the next major upgrade of Microsoft's operating system for PCs, tablets and laptops, will be released
to manufacturers in August and will ship commercially in October, the company
announced on Monday.

Microsoft had previously said that the OS would be commercially available before the end of the year but hadn't
given a firm shipping date.

When Windows 8 is released to manufacturers (RTM), Microsoft will also activate the Windows Store and start
charging for applications, which during the test period have been free, the company announced at its Worldwide
Partner Conference in Toronto.

In a keynote appearance at the conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that this is "an epic year" for
Microsoft because of all the new product upgrades it's delivering, in particular Windows 8, which he called "the
biggest deal for our company in at least 17 years."

Windows 8 will hit its RTM milestone in early August and will begin shipping commercially in late October,
according to Microsoft. Those dates apply not only to the Windows 8 version for x86 chips from AMD and Intel, but
also for Windows RT, the Windows 8 version that will run on ARM-based devices. Windows RT will ship embedded with
its devices, which will be made by Microsoft and third-party hardware partners. It will not be sold as a
stand-alone OS like Windows 8 for x86.

At the time of commercial availability, Windows 8 will also be available for upgrades for people with PCs
running Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. Microsoft has already provided details about upgrade options and
prices.

Windows 8 will be available in 109 languages and 231 markets worldwide.

To date, Microsoft has sold more than 630 million licenses of Windows 7, and more than half of enterprise
desktops today are running it.